established in 2020
donations made in February & March 2021
click on title to check out the website!
THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
19th Air is a women-owned, budding company founded by two young people of colour.
When Amy and I met at school again after online school and summer break, we both wanted to help spread positive energy to our community, both at school and beyond. Amy and I found each other through the "One builds, one sells" approach: I design the fashion apparels and the website, and Amy produces and promotes the products.
Amy and I used our allowance we saved from red envelops they received on each Chinese Lunar New Year to start the brand. We founded 19th Air with mission to spread young, energetic, and unique fashion that supported people during this time of hardship, combining fashion with function.
THE PROCESS
When the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2019, a "new normal" came along as people breathed new waves of air through their masks, hence the name 19th Air. The name of 19th Air represented the time of hardship that marked the start of a new era.
The logo is simple, yet stable and strong, just like how most people are handling the pandemic with organized health regulations. This logo also represented the attitude of a new generation of young people, brazen and confident.
THE DESIGNS
I did all of my designing on Adobe Illustrator. After discussing, Amy and I reached a consensus on producing reusable fabric masks. There are also very flexible nose adjustment on the masks for different people and ages. In addition, there are small adjustable knobs at the end of each ear strap for younger children to adjust the tightness. With each design, I attached colour swatches as well as possible fabric selections. I translated all the captions into Chinese as our manufacture was based in China. We strive for a minimalistic, unisex, and versatile design accessible and loved by all.
VALENTINE'S DAY SPECIAL EDITION DESIGNS
This was a fun and exciting project as I got to redesign the logo and website for our Valentine's Day sales. In addition, all of these designs are made to bring a touch of liveliness to celebrations during the pandemic.
This is my favourite design as once the sequins are flipped, the lips turn into a kiss <3
19th Air then launched a line of beanies and bucket hats. For the Classic designs, I went for a very simple, black and white design, while for the Valentine's Day special editions, I thought to use the same designs to match with the masks. Something special about the Classic designs is that all of the beanies are made with 100% recycled yarn.
THE PRODUCTS
Seeing the design to transform from digital pixels to a fabricated final product is the most rewarding part of my work.
The most fun part of entrepreneurship is when slowly, bit by bit, we gain support from people around us. Friends at school came and volunteered as models for our products.
WE CAN HELP
As founders, we established 19th Air to allow people to express themselves freely through versatile and comfortable fashion apparels.
We established a donation program called WE CAN HELP. This program offer people the opportunity to buy our products in larger amounts through a choice of different donation levels. There are Gold Honour, Silver Honour, and Bronze Honour. We will then donate the purchased items to Downtown Eastside Women's Centre to support elderly, low-income women through the pandemic as well as Covenant House to support youth facing homelessness in Downtown Vancouver.
THE DONATIONS
In February of 2021, Amy and I have received a Gold Honour order from Connectus Financial Consultants Ltd. We sincerely appreciate their support to our brand and, most importantly, our local community. This organization is not only supporting female owned entrepreneurial business, but also finding a way to help the less fortunate. It is our pleasure to donate these products to our local charity, Downtown Eastside Women's Centre. There are in total 100 products, including 50 beanies, 25 of the Valentine's Day Heart Beanies and 25 of the Valentine's Day Rose Beanies. There are also 50 masks, 25 of the Valentine's Day Herat Masks and 25 of the Valentine's Day Rose Masks. We hope that these beanies and masks will help to brighten someone's day with a warm smile on their face.
at Downtown Eastside Women's Centre
In late February of 2021, Amy and I received a Silver Honour order from Tavan Group Ltd.
We sincerely appreciate their support to our brand and, most importantly, our local community. It is our pleasure to donate our products to our local charity, Downtown Eastside Women's Centre. In addition, we have added a new local charity to our donation list, Covenant House Vancouver.
at Covenant House
There are in total 74 products. There are 50 beanies, 25 of the Valentine's Day Heart Beanies and 25 of the Valentine's Day Rose Beanies. There are also 24 masks, 12 of the Valentine's Day Herat Masks and 12 of the Valentine's Day Rose Masks. We hope that these beanies and masks will help to brighten someone's day with a warm smile on their face.